It’s Friday night and time for another beer tasting! This week, my wife and I taste four flavors from the new “Variety IPAck” from Deschutes Brewery in Bend Oregon, featuring four delicious flavors!
So, please, go get your favorite beverage, sit down, kick back and enjoy as we do our tasting!
Our first beer is…
BEER: Fresh Squeezed IPA
ABV: 6.4%
MATT: 3.75/5
DANIELLE: 3.75/5
LOOK: Amber and clear
SCENT: Dank hops, citrus, pine
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Slightly thick mouthfeel. Malt and deep, toasted hops are right up front, with some orange peel on the back end and bitter hop finish.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: Deschutes always has that great, deep, dark hoppy flavor that made Jubelale, their holiday beer, so great. This has a great balance of malt, blood orange, and hops — though it might be a touch too bitter for a lot of people out there.
BEER: Fresh Haze IPA
ABV: 6.5%
MATT: 4/5
DANIELLE: 3.75/5
LOOK: Gold and hazy
SCENT: A lot of orange
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Slightly thick mouthfeel. Lots of orange to the point where you swear that you can taste pulp — but not particularly overbearing.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: This is reminiscent of Blue Moon with lots of orange and orange sediment in the bottle. It says it’s an IPA but it drinks like a Belgian Ale — albeit without the spice. The great thing about this beer is that the orange is the star of the show and isn’t overpowered by bitter hops (like Stone’s “Tangerine Express”) or by too much malt or alcohol. This is a great drinker.
BEER: Grower Direct Farm Focused IPA
ABV: 7%
MATT: 3.25/5 (changed from recording)
DANIELLE: 2.5/5
LOOK: Gold and hazy
SCENT: Dank hops, fresh produce/artichoke…?!
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: There doesn’t seem to be anything here. Very watered down with only a tiny hint of bitterness on the back end.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: There’s nothing here to taste. It’s like a seltzer beer with no fruit and a lot more body. Only a tiny bit of orange flavor and slightly bitter hops on the back end but there isn’t any real character to this beer. Still drinkable but the weakest of the pack thus far.
BEER: Symphonic Chronic West Coast IPA
ABV: 7.2%
MATT: 3.5/5
DANIELLE: 3.25/5
LOOK: Gold and slightly hazy
SCENT: I am getting some orange but nothing else…
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Thankfully, this isn’t like the last beer. This has some tropical notes and some orange with the hops on the back end.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: Billed as a “West Coast IPA”, this beer uses “East Coast dry-hopping” which is odd because it doesn’t taste like a dry beer. There’s flavor to be had. It’s very much a West Coast IPA at heart and slightly reminiscent of Dust Bowl’s “Tomorrow’s Clear” — but without the complex tropical flavor. You get hints of orange and mango but they don’t really get to shine.
FINAL THOUGHTS: An interesting pack. Deschutes Brewery throws both the bold and familiar at you in an attempt to welcome you to Spring — but your acceptance of the new flavors may not be guaranteed. Still, it’s a daring pack and recommended.
HEAR OUR FINAL THOUGHTS:
NEXT WEEK: Next week, our beer tasting comes to you on Thursday, March 17, 2022 for a special St. Patrick’s Day tasting! We will be doing five stouts picked for us at random! Join us!